Hey guys! I know that these last chapters have all been Erika's POV. It's mostly because I'm re-editing an old story and originally this story was supposed to be mainly Thorin x Erika, but as you read in the introduction, I decided to focus on Kili x Mattea and Fili x Jasmine as well. I promise that there will be a mix of the other sisters' POVs in later chapters. I also promise that all three pairings will have lots of sweet, fluffy moments, but I will not jump too quickly. I want to make it a somewhat slow-ish burn; building, teasing romances. I want the characters to form close and deep bonds to each other. Depending on how my patience holds up. Enjoy!
Erika's POV
We all, except for Jas, who was still locked in her room, settled into an uncomfortable silence. Lots of looks were exchanged, but very few words, until eventually, the men or 'dwarves' as they called themselves, asked for sustenance. There was barely a frozen pizza in the freezer, so Matty went to get us some food.
The two younger ones were very polite and with time became more and more chatty, curious about where we are and how we live. Their uncle was quiet nearly the entire time; a silent observer. Though he didn't say much, and responded with grunts and single words, I could tell he was listening to every detail. It was almost as if he was calculating their next move and assessing us. Were we an obstacle or an aid? That was what he was most likely asking himself. I found that I was becoming comfortable around the brothers, but Thorin scared me. He was just so… mysterious. I don't know how else to put it. I mentally calculated the distance from where I was sitting to the desk drawer which contained the pepper spray, just in case.
After about fifteen minutes after Mattea left for the food, I couldn't disregard all that uncomfortable looking armor and caked blood mixed with dirt and sweat.
"Well, wherever you're from, you must've travelled a long way and must be tired. Mattea will be back soon with the food, and I'm sure you will want to freshen up. We have just one shower. You can take turns using it. We don't have any comfortable clothes unfortunately for you guys. Everything would be too small."
"Forgive me my lady," spoke Kili, "But what is 'shower'?"
"Umm..." how do you explain a shower? "It's like a thing that water comes out of for washing up."
"You mean like a river? A stream?" Kili chipped in.
"Umm... no."
"A waterfall?" tried Fili.
"Just... would be easier if you followed me so I could show you." The three dwarves filed into our tiny bathroom. These guys were so broad and heavily built, that I wondered if they would even fit in our shower cabin.
Explaining to them how it worked proved to be a challenge all on its own. They were completely dumbfounded but seemed to understand how to turn it on and off at least. I gave them towels, explained the concept of 'soap', before they proceeded to remove their armor. I then discovered that under all of it, they had thin trousers and tunics, which were caked in mud and sweat.
"I'll wait outside the door. When you remove these clothes, throw them to me. I'll have them washed and dried. At least that will make you feel more comfortable." I said, before heading out the door. They did as I asked, and I let them be.
While they took turns showering, I threw the clothes into a washer, and had them washed and dried by the time they were done. I put them on the express cycle, as Mattea would be home soon. I would have to remember to rewash them overnight. I then re-approached the bathroom. Our poor, poor bathroom. It was nearly flooded. But I'll leave that to Jas to freak out over. To be honest, I am sharing the same opinion as Mattea, in that I simply didn't care that much about this shithole of an apartment. But it was the best we've got. We cannot afford to be picky.
After dropping the clothes off, I busied myself in the kitchen. My thoughts drifted to my job. What should I do? These guys are so lost and clueless. They need constant supervision. Hell, it took forever to explain to them how a shower works. Jas is obviously refusing to help, and the minute both Matts and I are not home, she would tell them to hit the road. Why did I care so much though? Maybe because I knew that they wouldn't survive out there alone. And? How is that my problem? I don't know but it just is. No, I would not go in to work. My schedule for the next two weeks follows a 4-day work rotation, so in reality, I'd only miss 8 days over the next two weeks. I will call in sick. Say I have the flu. I may need a doctor's note, but I'm a good actress if I have to be. My attendance has been outstanding since I started with United. They won't be too mad. When you work for an airline, you're bound to catch the flu eventually. Airports are like a big disease factory. It's actually amazing how many people turn into pigs and disregard basic hygiene standards. I could write a book on the nastiness I've seen. So, I've been lucky to remain healthy. I'll call in sick for the next two weeks and educate them as much as I can about our culture and society. United would still pay me if I call in sick, so it's not like we'd lose any much-needed income. A deep voice behind me snapped me out of my thoughts and made me slightly jump.
"My nephews and I are grateful for all you have done for us." I turned around and faced Thorin. He was not much for words, and that was probably the longest sentence he said to me so far. I took a moment to observe him, now that he was only about a meter away from me. He was taller than me by, I would say, 3-4 inches, and was obviously a lot bigger and stronger. His broad chest and shoulders covered by a thin cloth tunic which came fresh out of the dryer. However, it was then that I noticed a massive blood stain in the tunic around his chest area. Blood is a tough stain to get rid of. His legs were shrouded in his cloth trousers. His thick, long dark hair was soaking wet, and obviously had not been towel dried, as it was dripping all over the kitchen floor. But I ignored this.
A part of me felt a bit of fear being alone in the living room with him, especially him having approached me, towering over me. I felt like a small animal standing in front of a lion or a bear or something. But when I his eyes, I felt slightly calmer. They showed genuine appreciation, but there was a hint of sadness and despair. He had very beautiful eyes, I remarked to myself. They were a deep, dark turquoise. Like a deep raging sea after sunset. The gruffness of the rest of his appearance suited him, and only added to his mystery even more. I didn't know him, but I could tell that he has been through a lot in his life, and because of this, he must have built a wall around himself, only showing this gruff side. But the way he had just spoken to me, it was tender. I snapped out of my thoughts and took a step back towards the living room… one step closer to that one drawer with that one can of pepper spray. Just because he was changing his tone, didn't mean that I felt any less uncomfortable.
"Oh… yeah. Oh yeah, no it's all good!" I said stumbling for words and franticly nodding. He could sense my uneasiness. I could see it in his eyes.
"You fear me, do you not?" his voice was low and deep, yet the words he spoke were soft.
"Um, no!" okay, that was a bit of a lie, "No, no all is good, I just... I forgot something in my room! I'll be right back!" I turned quickly, glad for the opportunity to get away from this situation. It was all a little bit too much, and I needed to get away. As I began to walk away, I felt a strong, yet gentle hand on my forearm, surprising me, and making me turn around quickly. Meeting his eyes. They looked soft and so sincere, "You have nothing to fear from me nor my nephews. We will not harm you in any way. You have my word."
I thought for a moment, before taking a deep breath and responding. "I appreciate you saying that, but you have to understand, I do not know anything about you. You are just some three strangers who happened to have magically manifested in our living room," I was trying to sound firm and strong, but with his hand on my arm, I was insanely nervous and my voice betrayed me; it was high and shaky. "It's nothing personal, it's just a strange occurrence, is all. Maybe I need some time to adjust."
He gave one nod before releasing my arm. I walked over towards my bedroom, but stopped, and turned to face him again.
"Th-thorin," I began, unsure of myself," he turned to face me, "Perhaps you and your nephews would like to just sit with me and my sisters and tell us a bit about where you're from? What your… world is like? Maybe it will help us understand each other better?"
He was silent, thinking the proposal over. Then, an amused smile, one which was so small that it may have not even happened, briefly ghosted his face. "How do I know you will not simply use the information we give you to plot against us?"
"Plo- What?!" I was utterly confused by this man, "Dude, why would we PLOT anything?! You came to US, it's not like we kidnapped you. Also, I promise you I have zero clue where you're from. In order for me to plot against you, I'd probably have to go to your world, would I not? My life is here! I don't plan on going to the middle ages and wear armor and carry swords. I'd rather stay here with my iPhone, TV and modern civilization!" after my rant, I realized I shouldn't have snapped. I probably triggered the pissed off side of him again. But to my surprise, his facial expression did not change. He stayed silent for a moment, processing all the words I just said to him; all the words he didn't understand, before speaking in that low, deep voice once again.
"Very well, woman. Once your sister returns, we shall talk."
"Umm. You… can't call me woman."
He looked momentarily confused, "Are you not a woman?"
I rolled my eyes, sighing. "That's not what I meant. What does me being a woman have to do with anything?"
Thorin was becoming irritated. "What is it you want from me? You are a woman, so I referred to you as such!"
"My name is Erika. Please refer to me as Erika. You don't hear me referring to you as… man!"
"I am no man! I am a dwarf! I will not be insulted-"
"But you think it's fine to refer to me as 'woman'?" I cut him off. I don't know why I was becoming so offended. But the way he called me 'woman' made me feel somehow inferior to him. He did not respond, so I sighed and tried again.
"Look. First thing you need to know about our society, is that just because I am a woman, I am not less than you. In our world, men and women are equal. I am sorry, but we do not have dwarves as a race. We only have men and women. But we are all equal. In some parts of the world that isn't the case, but here, we are. So, when you just call me 'woman', it is not polite."
Thorin's face relaxed a bit.
"Forgive me… Erika. My intent was not to insult. In my land, amongst the dwarves, women are highly regarded and are of great importance. I did not realize that calling you a woman would cause offense."
I nodded, "It's okay. There is a lot for you to learn about our ways. I understand being in a strange world is not easy. I wish to help you and your nephews. We have to form some kind of trust amongst each other. So, you have to trust that my sisters and I are not plotting against you, and I have to trust that… you won't swing that sword at me when I least expect it," I said that last part with a chuckle, joking, but some seriousness behind it.
Thorin looked at me quietly, before nodding. "As I told you already, you have nothing to fear from me nor my nephews. We will not harm you."
"Thank you," I smiled at him, feeling a bit more at ease for some reason.
Just then, Mattea walked through the front door carrying IKEA bags. I had sent her to get a bunch of 50 cent hot dogs, combos, cakes and other things that could fill these three men up at a low cost.
"I'm homeeee! I come baring food!"
"Food?!" Fili and Kili yelled at the same time and appeared from the laundry closet. And finally, one more door opened, and Jasmine walked out. We haven't seen her since she stormed out.
"Perfect! Matts, bring the food in the living room," I called from the kitchen, while getting plates, cups, and cutlery, "Everyone else, please find a seat. Jasmine, that includes you! It's time to get to know each other better."
Jas looked like that's the last thing she wanted, but she's been sitting in her bedroom having had nothing to eat, and who can resist IKEA food?
"Oh alright... FINE! I will sit. But I still don't approve of this." she plumped herself down beside Fili, who was looking at her, but she was, of course, had too much pride in her to meet his gaze.
"Yes, hon, we know." I rolled my eyes at her.
In the meantime, while Mattea was unloading all the take-out boxes out of the bags, Kili approached her.
"My lady, can I help you with anything?" she looked up at him. He was also a few inches taller than her, and gasped. He smiled and winked at her, and I could tell that Mattea was automatically smitten. She liked guys, lots of guys. She brought home many dates, but the next day they left and were never to be seen again. But the problem is that one of those guys was now living in the same house as us. There is a saying, 'don't crap where you eat'. In this case, 'don't date your roommate.'
"Oh, sure, sweetheart!" she made her voice sound as flirty as possible, and threw a wink in there as well, "You can start taking these boxes into the living room!"
"Yes, my lady," I would have to have a talk with her about this. It simply cannot happen.
Once the food was all set up, my sisters and I took our portions, which were a hotdog, combo and piece of cake each, and the dwarves went nuts. They ate about five times as much as us. They were stuffing hot dog after hot dog in their mouths, as if this was some kind of eating contest. The three of us looked at each other, partly confused, partly amazed… partly disgusted. How can you eat that much so fast?!
The food was gone in 5 minutes. The amount Mattea bought would have lasted us three a month. IT WAS ALL GONE IN 5 MINUTES!
Fili turned to Jas who was sitting next to him and asked, "Where's the rest?"
Jas' jaw dropped and I could see a storm of emotions overtaking her face. "You insufferable-"
"Jasmine! Stop!" I snapped at her. "Guys, this is all you're getting. I'm… sorry, I guess? But money is tight enough as it is, and we could barely afford this. You need to pace yourselves."
The dwarves were quiet until Thorin spoke to his nephews. "Until we can find our way back home, we will need to ration, like we did on the journey. We cannot expect these women-" he stopped himself, realizing his words before turning to me and holding his hands up in defense, "Forgive me, I did not mean…"
I giggled and responded. "It's okay. What you said is fine. It's not offensive."
He could not have looked more confused. "But earlier, when I called you 'woman' you said it was not acceptable,"
I rolled my eyes in amusement, "Yes, but it was the way you said it. That time it was degrading. This time it was okay."
Mattea looked at me, "What? What did I miss?" I waved her off.
Thorin took his head in his hands, shaking it and murmuring to himself, "Mahal, what sort of world is this?" Before raising his head and looking back at the brothers. "We cannot expect them to give up all of their food. We shall ration until we return home or can figure out a way to take up work." He paused, looking as if a thought came to his mind, turning to me "Perhaps there is a need of a blacksmith in your village?"
Mattea and I looked at each other, before we turned back to Thorin. Mattea spoke this time. "Let's start with your story, and after that, we will tell you more about our… village. It's called New York!" she giggled.
The dwarves exchanged glances, not understanding what was so funny, and then nodded in agreement, whispering amongst each other, no doubt trying to think of how best to approach the telling of their tale.
I took a moment to look over at Jas, who was sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest, chin resting on them, eyes staring down at the carpet. She was not taking this as well as Mattea and I.
Thorin stood up and walked over to where his pile of armor was. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a folded piece of very old looking paper. He carefully unfolded it and placed it in the middle of the table. It looked like some old map of a place I did not recognize.
"Uncle," spoke Fili, "You kept it with you!"
"Yes, Fili, even after we reclaimed Erebor, I could not part with this map. A map that has been with me from the start of this journey."
"Erebor?" I asked quietly.
Thorin turned towards me, "My Kingdom. Our home."
He went on to tell us about the Lonely Mountain, Dale, Laketown; how life was before the dragon attack, what they did after it was taken from them, their journey, how they reclaimed it, only to have it threatened again, up until the last moments they remembered.
"That orc filth..." Thorin was so angry, that he was nearly shaking. "He has destroyed the line of Durin. He got what he wanted. I live without doubt though, that I ran my sword through him. He is dead."
"But what did you win with that?" everyone looked at Mattea in shock, "No! I mean like, okay, you killed him! That's great! But you're all dead now. So he won too. From what I understand, his goal in life was to kill you all. He did that. He probably couldn't care less if he died or not. He died knowing too. The way I see it, if you really wanna slap this… 'Azgog'..."
"Azog," Kili quietly corrected her,
"... in the face, then we need to get you back to where you came from. We need to somehow find a portal... oh my god, I sound like a crazy person! Anyways, we need to get you back there. Then, he will be dead, you will be alive, and then you'll really have exactly what you want."
"Uncle, she is right." Kili spoke up,
"But wait," I looked over at Jasmine who was now the one to speak. I guess she was finally beginning to embrace the situation, "if you three died and were transported here, where did he get transported to after Thorin killed him? If you all died at around the same place and time, and arrived in the same place, is it not possible that he might have arrived in New York too?"
Everyone was quiet. This was really a good question.